NEW YORK — They’ve conquered film. They’ve taken over the music industry. They’ve crushed ratings on TV.
Now, Korean culture is headed for Broadway.
A new musical, “KPOP,” will open later this year and star Korean superstar Luna. The Jason Kim-scripted production will be the first musical on Broadway to feature K-pop music which unleashed mega-selling acts such as BTS, Blackpink and breakthrough “Gangnam Style” hit-maker PSY to the masses.
The plot is described as the backstage story about how one singer’s inner turmoil threatens to upend one of the K-pop industry’s biggest record companies just as an internationally renowned group prepares for a special one-night-only event.
Luna, whose given name is Park Sung-young, is a top-selling recording artist and musical theater performer.
The 28-year-old Seoul native has starred in Korean versions of stage musicals including “Legally Blonde,” “In the Heights” and “Gone with The Wind.”
“Anyone who has followed my career knows that musical theatre has always been a driving passion of mine,” Luna said with the production’s announcement. “Broadway represents the pinnacle of achievement in my profession, so being able to bring my culture — this Korean artform — to the fans who flock here from all over the world to see a Broadway show is the honor of my life.”
She will lead a cast that will include 16 members making their Broadway debuts.
“The driving force of this production of ‘KPOP’ has always been to fuse the vibrant, joyful, and wildly entertaining world of K-pop with the powerful storytelling of a Broadway musical,” producers Tim Forbes and Joey Parnes said in a joint statement.
“KPOP” will begin performances Oct. 13 at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre.
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